Recorder for switch and signal systems.



A. o. BURTON.

RECORDER FOR SWITCH AND SIGNAL SYSTEMS.

APPLIOATIONI'ILED MAY 9, 1910.

A. C. HORTON.

RECORDER FOR SWITCH AND SIGNAL SYSTEMS.

APPLICATION FILED MAY 9, 1910.

1,005,037. Patented Oct. 3, 1911.

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E 677K( 1MM it A. C. HORTON. RECORDER FOR SWITCH AND SIGNAL SYSTEMS.

APPLIGATION FILED MAY 9, 1910.

1,005,037. Patented 001;. 3, 1911.

3 SHEETS-SHEET a.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

ACHSAI-I C. HORTON, OF TROY, KANSAS, ASSIGNOR OF ONE-THIRD TO HENRY DAMERELL, OF FLINT, MICHIGAN..

RECORDER FOR SWITCH AND SIGNAL SYSTEMS.

To all whom 'it may concern.'

Be it known that I, Aoi-rsAH C. HoRToN, a citizen of the United States, and resident of Troy, in the county of Doniphan and State of Kansas, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Recorders for Switch and Signal Systems; and I do hereby declare that the following is a full, clear, and exact description thereof.

The object of my invention is to provide an apparatus in connection with a switch and signal system, whereby a permanent record of the time of each operation thereof is had, the invention being especially designed for use in connection with semaphores when operated in either a block or interlocled system.

The construction and arrangement of the apparatus is such that an individual printing mechanism is connected to each actuating lever of the system, whereby each printing mechanism will be actuated to record the various movements of its lever at a common printing point upon a time-controlled dial.

By utilizing an apparatus of this character it will be readily seen that greater` caution will be exercised by the operators of a railway switch and signal system, and a complete history of the days operations can be obtained and preserved for checking purposes.

With the above objects in view the invention consists in certain peculiarities of construction and combination of parts as hereinafter set forth with reference to the accompanying drawings and subsequently claimed.

In the drawings Figure 1 represents a fragmentary face view of an apparatus embodying the features of my invention, with parts broken away and part-s in section to more clearly show certain details of construction in connection with the printing mechanism; Fig. 2, a side elevation of the same partly in section as indicated by line 2-2 of Fig. 1, Fig. 3, a detail sectional plan view of a printing mechanism the section being indicated by line 3-3 of Fig. 1, and Fig. 4, a view of a switch and signal mechanism illustrating the recorder connected to the switch and signal actuating lever.

Referring by characters to the drawings 1 represents the rear panel of a casing containing standard clock mechanism, the hour Specification of Letters Patent.

Application led May 9, 1910.

Patented Oct. 3, 1911.

Serial No. 560,188.

hand 2 of which clock mechanism extends through the rear panel and has secured thereto a disk 3, carrying pins 4, for the support of a detachable dial 5. This dial is preferably composed of stiff'paper and provided with a circumferential graduated scale indicating the hours and fractions thereof down to minutes. The dial as shown is spaced for twelve hours and is designed to make a complete rotation in' the same period of time, after which it is disconnected from the disk and replaced by a similar dial for recording purposes. It is obvious, however, that a dial having a full twentyfour hour scale thereon may be substituted for that shown.

Rearward of the dial and extending from the panel 1 is a printing anvil 6, that is disposed just rearward of a printing point, which printing point is vertically alined with the axis of the dial. A bracket 7 is secured to the panel 1 having a horizontally disposed table portion 8, from which a series of three standards 9, 9? and 9b extend, the standards being arranged in echelon, as best shown in Fig. 3, to provide for clearance of the printing mechanisms hereinafter mentioned.

Type-bars 10, 10a and 10", are pivoted in the upper ends of the respective standards, being provided with type characters 11, 11a

and 11h respectively, at their free ends. The

heads are deflected to a position in alinement with the printing point, the length of each type-bar from its fulcrum to the printing character being such that the type thereof will all print upon the same point when actuated, the variation in length being for the purpose of accommodating the dispositions of the pivotal or fulcrum points of the various levers relative to said printing point.

Each type-bar is provided with a foot 13, which is arranged to be engaged by a plunger 14. Each plunger is reciprocatively mounted in a bearing aperture of the table 8 and provided with a collar 15 at its head end, between which collar and table there is interposed a spiral spring 16, which serves to hold the plunger in its normal position, in which position it is stopped by an eared head 17, that impinges against the lower face of the table. Fulcrumed between the ears of the plunger heads upon pins 18 are depending double acting rocker-arms 19, 19a and 19h, having wings 20 extending from their upper portions. These Wings carry trunnions 21 and 21a, which trunnions rest in sockets 22 of lugs 23, the lugs being provided with shanks in screw-threaded engagement with the table 8.

As will be observed by referring to Fig. 2, the several rocker-arms are alined with their respective plungers and are consequently upon different planes, being offset so as to providev clearance for the movement of tappet levers 24, 24a and 24b respectively. These tappet levers are fulcrumed to a depending plate of the bracket 7 and carry lingers 25, for engagement with the lower ends of their respective rocker-arms. The three independent tappet levers carry connecting rods 26, each of which is linked to a switch and signal actuating lever 27, one

-. of the series being shown in Fig. 1 and constitutes a partof the actuating mechanism of a switch and signal system.

As described, it will be seen that the apparatus as illustrated. in Figs. 1, 2 and 3 is 3 shown with three independent type-bar actuating mechanisms, which are the usual number for a simple system having a home, distant and dwarf signal semaphore connection, but it should be understood that the number of printing mechanisms may be varied in accordance with the multiplicity of the system.

In the diagram Fig. 4, a single switch and signal actuating lever 27 only is shown for lclearness in illustration, the same being coupled to a recorder connecting rod 26 through a series of links and bell-cranks. The recorder connecting rod 26 in turnis connected to a tappet lever 24a that operates the rocker arm 19a when moved in either dinal lever 27 shown is one of a series usually employed, being fulcrumed to a sector bracket 28 the same being provided with a short arm 28EL that is connected to a switch Y 30 and the usual semaphore 31, whereby the same are moved in either direction when the vtive switch and signal lever 27, the finger Y 25.will engage the rocker-arm 19a and cause the same to assume tlieangular position shown in Fig. 1, in which position thetappet has just cleared the end of said rockerarm and the same will be returned to its normal position by the action of its spring 16. In assuming the position just described and shown in Fig. 1, the trunnion 21 becomes a fulcrum-point upon which the rocker-arm is oscillated. Consequently as the double rocker-arm is displaced from its normal vertical position its trunnion 21 will swing downward from its seat 22 in the lug, causing a draw upon the plunger 14 and a consequent -compression of its spring. This loading of the spring will be instantaneously released as the tappet 25 passes under the end of the rocker-arm 19, and the reaction of the spring causes the end of the plunger to impart a blow to the foot 13 of its respective type-bar 10a, and the same is thereby forced forward to effect a printing operation of its type character upon the scale of the dial. A portion of this stroke is effected by momentum of the type-bar, which momentum is arrested by a leaf-spring 28 that engages the type-bar just prior to the contact of its type with said dial, it being understood that each type-bar is equipped with a similar spring. The effect of the blow of the type character upon the dial and engagement of the type-bar and spring will cause the same to return to its normal position as shown inV dotted lines in Fig. 2. Thus it will be seen that at the instant the switch and signal mechanism is operated this particular signal mechanism will cause a character corresponding thereto to be imprinted upon the dial at the exact time of the operation, and the dial will then continue its movement, showing no further record until, for example, this switch and signal lever is restored to its normal position, at which time the operation vwill be repeated, except that the direction of movement of lever 19a. will be reversed and the trunnion 21 of `said lever will then become the fulcrum-point upon which power is applied to the coiled spring for imparting the blow to the type-bar, it being understood that as the plunger is retracted in each instance the type-bar thereover will be caused to follow said plunger downward due to gravity.

From the foregoing it is clear that when a switch and signal is operated, the time of the operation of this particular switch and .signal will be indicated upon the dial and Vwhen the said switch and signal has been restored to its normal position the time of such restoration will also be recorded upon the dial and thereby show the interval of time between such operations.

As indicated in Fig. 2, ofthe drawings, a printing ribbon 30 may be interposed between the dial and type characters for the purpose of eifecting a clear impression of the type characters may be steel faced for the purpose of embossing the same upon said dial if desired.

I claim:

l. In a switch and signal system having a manually controlled switch actuating lever, a recording mechanism comprising a timecontrolled revoluble dial provided wit-h graduations indicating intervals of time, a pivoted type-bar adapted to be brought to a printing point upon the dial, a springcontrolled actuating plunger for the typebar, a double-acting rocker-arm for loading t-he spring-controlled plunger, anda tappet for engagement with the rocker arm in link connection with the switch actuating lever.

2. In a switch and signal system having a manually controlled switch actuating lever, a time-controlled recorder, a. type-bar for the recorder, a spring-controlled actuating means for the type-bar under control of the switch actuating lever movement of which lever in either direction is adapted to imparta printing movement to the type-bar.

3. In a switch and signal system having a manually controlled switch-actuating lever, a time controlled recording mechanism, a spring-actuated printing mechanism therefor, and a reciprocative tappet connected to the switch-lever, the tappet being arranged to engage and actuate the printing mechanism when moved in either direction.

4. In a railway'switch and signal system having a series of actuating levers, a recording mechanism comprising a time-controlled revoluble dial provided with graduations indicating intervals of time, a series of pivotally mounted type-bars adapted to be brought to a common printing point upon the dial, aI spring-controlled plunger for each type-bar, a rocker-arm in pivotal connection with the plunger, wings extending from the rocker-arm upon opposite sides of its pivotal point, seats for the wings, a tappet-lever for engagement with each rockerarm, and means connecting the tappet-levers and actuating levers of the switch and signal system.

5. In a railway switch and signal syste-m having a series of actuating levers, a timen controlled rotatory dial provided with graduations indicating intervals of time, a series of pivotally mounted type-bars corresponding in number to the series of actuating levers, the type-bars being adapted to be brought to a common printing point upon the dial, feet extending from the type-bars, spring-controlled plungers for engagement with the feet, rockerarms in pivotal connection with the plungers, wings extending from the rocker-arms upon opposite sides of their pivot-points, seats for the wings, and actuating means for the rocker-arms controlled by the actuating levers of the switch and signal system.

6. In a railway switch and signal system having a series of actuating levers, a clock mechanism having an hour-shaft extending therefrom, a dial in detachable connection with the hour-shaft, pivotally mounted type bars corresponding in number to the series of actuating levers of the aforesaid system, thetype-bars being adapt-ed to be brought to a common printing point upon the dial, a spring-controlled plunger for each typebar, a rocker-arm in pivotal connection with the plunger, wings extending from the plunger upon opposite sides of its pivotal point,

seats for the wings, independent tappetlevers for engagement with the rocker-arms, and means connecting the tappet-levers and actuating levers of the switch and signal system.

In testimony that I claim the foregoing I have hereunto set my hand at Troy in the county of Doniphan and State of Kansas in the presence of two witnesses.

ACI-ISAH O. HORTON.

Witnesses Minn Fovmn, GRANT DIsHoN.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the "Commissioner of Patents,

Washington, D. C. 

